I found better! Not just better but BEST! I’m having trouble putting into words how delicious these macaroons are. Lauren at Empowered Sustenance got it right! They are easy, sweet, moist, coconutty and paleo! If you like macaroons, you will LOVE these, paleo or not!

Baked perfectly for 18 minutes for the first batch. I did 17 minutes for the second batch because the oven was really hot and I didn’t want the bottoms to burn.

These are deliciously sweet, moist, coconutty and addictive. There is a subtle banana taste but the majority of the flavor is definitely undeniably coconut. I love that something so delicious is also paleo, vegan and dairy free!

I took this recipe an extra step and dipped a few in a little organic chocolate which does have dairy in it taking them out of the vegan category but the hubby will appreciate it so I just did a few for him. They are perfectly delicious without the chocolate though.

PERFECTLY HEALTHY COOKIE

Healthy cookie you say? That is really hard to find in a store and foods with labels tend to have too many ingredients for my taste. The fewer ingredients, the better, always. It’s a good thing healthy is really easy to make.

I use the term “cookie” loosely because these can be had for breakfast, after school snacks, energy bars, post workout snack, on-the-go treats for the kiddies, etc.

Peep these benefits:

No added sugar

No flour

No eggs

Contains protein

Contains fiber

Vegan

Can be made gluten-freewith Bob’s Red Mill gluten-free oatmeal. Bob’s tests for gluten down to 20 parts per million. Make sure you purchase only gluten-free labeled oatmeal, Bob’s has several that are not gluten-free.

Those benefits alone are reason enough to try these. A couple tips before you get started:

The riper your bananas are, the sweeter your cookies will be. I used ‘just ripe’ bananas just because I couldn’t wait to make these but you might want to wait until your nanas are a bit more ripe. Although mine turned out mildly sweet, its your preference really.

These cookies don’t spread on the cookie sheet unlike cookies made with eggs and flour. You can place them really close to each other.

I would typically look for the ‘brown around the edges’ sign of being done when making other cookies but not with these. They don’t get that brown. I found that 23 minutes was perfect for a full sheet of cookies though.

Side note: While these were baking I wanted to use up my ingredients for another ricotta and spinach stuffed mushroom so I got everything ready so I could use the oven when the cookies were done.

The first batch of cookies came out and of course I had to test them so I had one. Then I had another. Then I decided a cup of coffee would go great with them so I made a cuppa joe and put in the second batch of cookies.

Second batch done and I tested yet another cookie. Then I put away all of the mushroom ingredients because I wasn’t hungry any longer and would have to save them for later today.

Needless to say, these cookies are filling and satisfying. Not to mention healthy! Eat up!

Even if you added chocolate chips or a tablespoon of brown sugar, you are still making an incredibly healthy treat.

Coconut Vanilla Quinoa (Gluten Free)

Quinoa is a seed, not a grain. Because it is a seed, it’s a wheat-free, gluten-free “grain”.

Quinoa has more high quality protein than a lot of meats. In fact it’s a complete protein meaning it provides protein, fiber and essential amino acids.

Quinoa is filling, easy to prepare, can adapt to so many different flavors making it extremely versatile. It’s so incredible that according to the Inca culture they refer to it as the Mother Grain (even though it’s a seed).

So now that you know a little about this ‘superseed’, let me tell you how I prepared it for breakfast this morning. I saw this recipe at one of my favorite blogs and tweaked it a little.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of organic quinoa

1/2 cup of organic ‘lite’ coconut milk

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1 tbsp shredded coconut (I used sweetened)

Directions:

Combine 1/4 cup quinoa and 1/2 cup of coconut milk. Bring to a boil. Stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

If you find that the quinoa is getting too dry, add a tbsp of coconut milk at a time. If you have added too much, just simmer for a few minutes longer. Quinoa isn’t complicated at all.

Once its done, serve warm like you would oatmeal, stir in a little vanilla extract and top with a little coconut.

Quinoa tips:

Whatever amount you want to cook, always double the amount of liquid. Example: 1 cup of quinoa requires 2 cups of whatever liquid you use because it will absorb double its size.

If you use a 1/4 of a cup uncooked, it will yield a 1/2 cup cooked. Like I said, it doubles in size.

Quinoa is frequently served as a side dish. Instead of using coconut milk, use chicken or beef broth, add some scallions, chopped up mushrooms or whatever suits your taste. You can even mix cooked quinoa with turkey and stuff peppers with it. Quinoa is one of the most versatile, adaptive grains I eat.

1. Dehydrated veggie snacks – We make ours in the oven or in our dehydrator. Both ways work. They also sell them at Whole Foods. Just make sure to check the label for any hidden ingredients that may not be so good for you. They are also great with Hellavu Good Greek Style Yogurt dips.

2. Kale Chips – We do make these at home too but I’ve recently found bradsrawfoods.com brand. Their Pina Kale-Ada (Coconut and Pineapple) flavor is awesome. I could and have almost eaten the whole container in one sitting. The www.bradsrawfoods.com brand is USDA Organic, vegan, kosher, raw and non-GMO.

Kale is a rockstar when it comes to vegetables, it’s actually a super food. By super I mean they top the charts as far as nutritional value. Give them a try.

3. Oven Roasted Chickpeas – I always have a stash of these in the house. Chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) can take on almost any flavor combination you come up with. My favorite is a honey/vanilla/cinnamon mixture. They are full of fiber and have a really good crunch. They remind me of corn nuts. Look for the recipe in future posts.

4. Hellavu Good Greek Style Yogurt Dip – Let me start by saying that I do NOT like yogurt at all. No way no how. But…I LOVE this dip. I love all the flavors but my favorite is the French Onion. You would never know it had yogurt in it. It’s low in fat and calories, only has 3 carbs and even has protein in it.

You can dip your veggies, veggie chips or parmesan chips in it. I also use it as a dip for chicken and fish.

5. Dry roasted pumpkin seeds – I especially like the Eden Organic brand because it is low sodium, has fiber, protein and is magnesium rich. It’s also a good source of iron and zinc. Plus it only has 2 ingredients, organic pumpkin seeds and Eden Portuguese Sea Salt. The fewer ingredients a product has, the better.

6. Parmesan chips – An all time favorite of mine. I discovered a store bought brand at Whole Foods and went through them so fast that I figured I better learn how to make them myself. They are the easiest snack to make by far. Look for the recipe in future posts.

7. Honey fried banana – Last but not least are honey fried bananas. This simple recipe turns an ordinary banana into some crazy gourmet decadent dessert. A great way to sneak in a fruit and some potassium too. Look for the recipe in future posts.

Finding the right snack is half the battle. Just because you may not like a particular good for you snack doesn’t mean there isn’t one out there that you won’t love.

Homemade Vanilla Cinnamon Coconut Granola

I LOVE me some granola but buying it in the store is sketchy for me. There are either ingredients I’m not too keen on or there are additives that I’d rather not put in our bodies. The solution? Make it yourself!

I had wanted to make my own granola for a while now and finally did it last night. I don’t know what I was waiting for. It was so fast and easy! Let’s not forget nutritious and delicious and I used organic ingredients as much as I could. This recipe yields about 6 cups of granola. Prep time: 5 minutes. Cook time: 25 – 30 minutes. Cool time: 20 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

2 ½ cups old fashioned oats (NOT quick oats)

3/4 cup almond slivers

1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds

1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds

3/4 shredded sweetened coconut

1/2 cup of raisins

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. salt

4 tbsp. coconut oil (I used refined), melted

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/4 cup of honey*

2 tsp. vanilla extract

*this recipe can easily be made vegan by substituting honey for more maple syrup.

Preheat the oven for 325. Prepare a large cookie sheet with either parchment paper or a silicone baking sheet. You will be spreading this mixture on the cookie or baking sheet so if its on the small side, you might want to use 2.

In a large bowl toss the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sweetened coconut and raisins.

In a separate microwave safe medium bowl, mix the dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, coconut oil, maple syrup, honey and vanilla extract together. If your coconut oil is not already melted, put the mixture in the microwave for 20 seconds at a time just to melt the coconut oil. Take it out, stir it up. If the coconut is still not melted, pop it in for another 10 or 15 seconds.

Once your liquid ingredients are melted, pour over the dry mixture in the big bowl. Stir everything together until the dry ingredients are wet with the liquid mixture.

If you find that the liquid isn’t getting the dry ingredients wet enough, either add more honey or maple syrup but only one tablespoon at a time so not to use too much. If by chance you used too much liquid, just add some more nuts or oats, easy fix.

Once you’ve got everything mixed the way it should be, spread the mixture evenly over your baking sheet or cookie sheet and put in the oven for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes your kitchen should be smelling pretty darn awesome.

Put in for 10 minutes, stir

Put in for another 10 minutes, stir

Put in for another 7 – 10 minutes but this time when you stir, notice how brown the underside is getting. If it’s a dark caramel color, you are done – give it one last stir and let it cool. You don’t want to burn your latest snack creation.

Let the granola sit out and cool for about 20 minutes then sit back and bask in all the compliments you’ll be getting. You can take some on-the-go for a quick energy boost/snack or pour some milk over it for a delicious healthy cereal everyone will love.

You can create your own variations with your favorite nuts, dried fruits or some dark chocolate chips as my husband suggested. Get creative! Let me know how yours turned out and if you used any other ingredients. I love the concoctions people come up with.